Encapsulated acid and food product including same

ABSTRACT

A fat-encapsulated acid is rinsed with water to reduce the amount of residual acid that is not encapsulated in the fat. The encapsulating fat has a predetermined melting point and the water has a temperature lower than the melting point of the fat. The rinsing reduces or eliminates damage to food packaging that can be caused by un-rinsed fat-encapsulated acid.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The invention relates to the manufacture of food products, and specifically to flavorings for use in the manufacture of food products.

2. Description of Related Art

The convenience to consumers provided by prepared food products combined with consumers' desire for new and interesting foods has led to a demand for ever-wider variety in the flavors and textures of food products. For example, in foods such as microwave popcorn, efforts have been made to develop a fuller range of flavors as found in other snack foods such as potato chips and pre-popped popcorn. Several varieties of flavored microwave popcorn are already commercially available, including butter, caramel, sweet corn, and “kettle corn.”

Certain flavors, such as sour cream and onion, cheese flavors, as well as other flavors, have proven difficult to adapt for use in microwave popcorn. These flavors are said to have an “acid note”—that is, one component of the flavor that makes the taste identifiable is the sourness of acid. In products other than microwave popcorn, these flavors are generally produced through the addition of an acid, such as citric acid. In microwave popcorn, however, the inclusion of conventional flavoring formulations using acids has been largely unsuccessful, because upon heating, the acid eats through the paper popcorn bag preventing proper popping and allowing the oil mixture to run out of the bag onto the floor of the oven.

To avoid these undesirable effects of applying conventional flavoring formulations to microwave popcorn, attempts have been made to use acid that is encapsulated in a high-melt fat. One way that fat-encapsulated acid may be prepared is in a fluidized bed dryer in which acid particles are coated with desired thickness of a high-melt fat.

Encapsulated ingredients are commercially available, and are used in many types of food products such as baked goods, ice cream, candy, processed meats, and health foods. It was thought that use of a fat having a high melting point would keep the acid separated from the bag long enough to avoid the acid damaging the bag. These attempts were largely unsuccessful, and the bags were still damaged. Attempts to avoid bag damage by increasing the amount of fat used in encapsulation were equally unsuccessful.

Thus, past attempts to produce microwave popcorn flavored with an “acid note” have failed due to an inability to prepare a viable acid flavoring for use in the packaged product. Accordingly, there is a need for an improvement that would allow the production of microwave popcorn in the desired flavors using a standard packaging without damaging the package.

SUMMARY

It is an advantage of the invention to provide for the use of fat-encapsulated acid as a flavoring in food products without excessive damage to the packaging. One barrier to the use of commercially available fat-encapsulated acid with certain types of food products is the presence of residual acid not encapsulated in fat, which is an artifact of the production of fat-encapsulated acid. Because not all of the acid particles are coated in fat, the residual acid particles form a fine dust that collects on the encapsulated acid particles. In food products such as microwave popcorn, this dust of acid particles causes damage to the package. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a fat-encapsulated acid is washed to remove the residual, unencapsulated acid, so that the remaining, fat-encapsulated acid can be successfully used without damaging the package.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a method is provided for producing a fat-encapsulated acid suitable for use in food products. A fat-encapsulated acid is rinsed with water to reduce the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat. The fat used to encapsulate the acid has a predetermined melting point, and the water has a temperature lower than the melting point of the fat. This allows the water to wash the excess acid off the fat without melting the fat and washing away the encapsulated acid as well.

According to a second aspect of the invention, a method is provided for producing a food product. A fat-encapsulated acid is rinsed with water to reduce the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat, and the fat-encapsulated acid is then suspended in a slurry also containing oil. The slurry is combined with a food product, and the combination of the slurry and food product is then packaged.

Product counterparts to these embodiments are also provided. Other embodiments, systems, methods, features and advantages of the invention will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional embodiments, systems, methods, features and advantages be included within the scope of the invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a method of rinsing an encapsulated acid according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a process diagram showing the steps of manufacturing microwave popcorn in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a flowchart 10 of a method for producing a fat-encapsulated acid suitable for use in food products. A fat-encapsulated acid (step 1), such as a commercially available fat-encapsulated acid, is rinsed with water (step 2) to reduce the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat.

To prevent the premature release of the acid, the fat used to encapsulate the acid may be a high-melt fat, and may have a melting point higher than about 30° C. (85° F.). The melting point of the fat should be higher than the temperature at which the food product will be stored to ensure that the acid is not released during storage. Melting of the fat during storage or otherwise before cooking could reduce or eliminate its effectiveness in the cooking process and could also potentially allow the acid to damage the package during storage. One fat that may be used in encapsulated acids is hydrogenated vegetable oil, which may include soybean oil, but other fats that are similarly suited for food use may also be used, such as palm oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, and blends of these oils.

The water used to rinse the fat-encapsulated acid may be room temperature, or any temperature that does not melt the fat away from the encapsulated acid. A temperature lower than the melting point of the fat, allowing the removal of excess acid from the fat without excessively melting the fat and washing away the encapsulated acid, is suitable. The acid may be rinsed in any of a variety of ways. For example, water may be poured over the encapsulated acid to remove the residual acid. The encapsulated acid can be combined with water and stirred or agitated. The encapsulated acid can be drained on filter paper or an appropriately sized mesh screen. With respect to one commercially available encapsulated acid, designated Confecshure® 371, a smaller than 16 mesh screen should be used. With respect to another commercially available encapsulated acid, Bakeshure® 509, a smaller than 10 mesh screen should be used.

Acids that may be used in the present invention include citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, propionic acid, sorbic acid, succinic acid, and any other acids that are suited for use in food products. The acids are preferably in solid form. Combinations of acids may also be used.

FIG. 2 is a process diagram of an exemplary method for producing a food product, e.g., microwave popcorn, including fat-encapsulated acid. The fat-encapsulated acid may be rinsed with water to reduce or eliminate the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat, as described above in connection with FIG. 1.

In step 1, the fat-encapsulated acid is provided. In step 2, the fat-encapsulated acid is rinsed with water. As shown in step 3, the fat encapsulated acid may optionally be rinsed multiple times, depending on the desired reduction of residual, non-encapsulated acid.

The pH of the waste water can be measured after rinsing to determine whether additional rinses are necessary or whether sufficient residual non-encapsulated acid has been removed. The rinsing step can be repeated until the residual non-encapsulated acid has been substantially eliminated.

As shown in step 5, the fat-encapsulated acid is then suspended in a slurry which may contain oil. The oil is any oil suitable for use in food products, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, which may include soybean oil, but other fats may also be used, such as palm oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil, and blends of these oils. The melting point of the oil is preferably higher than about 30° C. The fat used to encapsulate the acid should have a higher melting point than the oil so as to provide a delay between the melting of the oil and the exposure of the acid. If the two melting points are the same, or if the encapsulating fat has a lower melting point, the acid can be prematurely exposed and the shielding effect of the high-melt fat can be removed. It is also contemplated that the fat-encapsulated acid may be used directly in combination with the food product, without the addition of oil.

In addition to oil and the fat-encapsulated acid, the slurry may further contain one or more components such as salt and flavoring. The flavoring may be dry or oil-based. If a dry flavoring is to be used, i.e., a powder, then the fat-encapsulated acid can be dried after it is rinsed and before it is combined with the slurry, as shown in step 4, to facilitate dispersion through the slurry and to minimize clumping. The rinsed fat-encapsulated acid may be allowed to air dry, or other techniques may be used, such as suctioning, providing an absorbent material, or gently heating. A fluidized bed dryer, such as may be used to encapsulate the acid, may also be used to dry the particles. Filter paper having pores smaller than the fat-encapsulated acid particles may optionally be used to allow the water to drain through the particles as they are rinsed. A person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other methods of draining water from the acid could also be used.

If an oil-based flavoring is used, the fat-encapsulated acid may be combined with the slurry after rinsing, or optionally, it may be dried as described above in connection with step 4.

As shown in step 6, the fat-encapsulated acid and slurry are combined with a food product, in this example, popcorn kernels. A preferred food product is microwave popcorn, but other food products may be used.

The combination of the slurry and food product is then packaged in a microwavable package (step 7). One advantage of the present invention is that the fat-encapsulated acid may be used in combination with a conventional microwave popcorn package: a bag made of bleached kraft paper having a microwave susceptor and a grease-proof outer layer, such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,548,826, 4,691,374, 5,044,777, and/or 5,690,853, all to Watkins or Watkins et al., incorporated herein by reference. However, the present invention is not limited to use in combination with conventional kraft paper microwave popcorn packages; the fat-encapsulated acid may be used with packages made of plastic or paperboard or other materials, having alternative or additional coatings, or having other configurations such as tubs, trays, cups, boxes, other types of bags, expandable containers, etc.

The technique of rinsing commercially available fat-encapsulated acid enables the production of a wide array of flavored food products that include an “acid note” among the flavorings. Furthermore, the rinsed fat-encapsulated acid disclosed herein can be combined with other conventional ingredients such as oils and other flavorings and then packaged in conventional microwave food packages.

The present invention has multiple aspects, illustrated by the following non-limiting examples. Example 1 describes the method that was used to detect the residual acid on a sample of commercially available fat-encapsulated acid. Examples 2 and 3 describe exemplary preparations of flavored microwave popcorn using fat-encapsulated acid and dry flavorings. Example 4 describes a preparation of flavored microwave popcorn using fat-encapsulated acid and oil-based flavorings.

EXAMPLE 1 Detection of Acid Residue on Fat-Encapsulated Acid

Five grams (5 g) of Confecshure® 371, a fat-encapsulated acid available from Balchem Corporation, New Hampton, N.Y., were rinsed with room temperature tap water (pH 5.41) and drained on filter paper having pores smaller than the size of the fat-encapsulated acid particles. The fat used for encapsulation was partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is solid at room temperature and has a melting point of 67-70° C. Rinse # pH of Rinse Water 1 2.96 2 4.75 3 4.62

The pH of 2.96 of the waste water after the first rinse indicates that non-encapsulated acid was present along with the fat-encapsulated acid, because the temperature of the tap water was well below the melting point of the fat and therefore too low to have released the acid bound in the fat capsules. The increase in pH of the waste water from 2.96 to 4.62 shows that the rinsings removed residual acid. The difference in pH of the waste water between the second and third rinsings is not significant.

EXAMPLE 2 Preparation of Flavored Popcorn Using Fat-Encapsulated Acid and Dry Flavorings

Samples of flavored microwave popcorn were prepared using about 70 g popcorn, about 27 g oil, and about 2-4 g of a combination of other additives, including dry flavorings, salt and two types of fat-encapsulated acid: Confecshure® 371 and Bakeshure® 509.

The Bakeshure® and Confecshure® were rinsed with room temperature tap water, drained on filter paper and allowed to air dry. Next, the Bakeshure® and Confecshure® were suspended in a slurry with the oil, salt, and dry flavorings. The popcorn was added to the slurry and placed in a conventional microwave popcorn package, a bag made of bleached kraft paper having a microwave susceptor and a grease-proof outer layer. The popcorn was popped in a consumer-style microwave oven according to conventional methods.

EXAMPLE 3 Preparation of Flavored Popcorn Using Fat-Encapsulated Acid and Dry Flavorings

Samples of flavored microwave popcorn were prepared using about 70 g popcorn, about 27 g oil, and about 2-4 g of a combination of other additives, including dry flavorings, salt, and Confecshure® 371.

The Confecshure® was rinsed with room temperature tap water, drained on filter paper and allowed to air dry. Next, the Confecshure® was suspended in a slurry with the oil, salt, and dry flavorings. The popcorn was added to the slurry and placed in a conventional microwave popcorn package, a bag made of bleached kraft paper having a microwave susceptor and a grease-proof outer layer. The popcorn was popped in a consumer-style microwave according to conventional methods.

EXAMPLE 4 Preparation of Flavored Popcorn Using Fat-Encapsulated Acid and Oil-Based Flavorings

Samples of flavored microwave popcorn are prepared using about 70 g popcorn, about 27 g oil, and about 2-4 g of a combination of other additives, including oil-based flavorings, salt, and two types of fat-encapsulated acid: Confecshure® 371 and Bakeshure® 509.

The Bakeshure® and Confecshure® are rinsed with room temperature tap water, and drained on filter paper. Next, the Bakeshure® and Confecshure® are suspended in a slurry with the oil, salt, and oil-based flavorings. The popcorn is added to the slurry and placed in a conventional microwave popcorn package, for example, a bag made of bleached kraft paper having a microwave susceptor and a grease-proof outer layer. The popcorn is then popped in a consumer-style microwave according to conventional methods.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of the present invention, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, are merely possible examples of implementations, merely setting forth a clear understanding of the principles of the invention. While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more variations, embodiments, equivalents and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention, without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of the invention. All such modifications and equivalents are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and the present invention and protected by the claims that follow. 

1. A method of producing an encapsulated acid suitable for use in food products, comprising: rinsing a fat-encapsulated acid with water to reduce the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat, wherein the fat has a predetermined melting point, and wherein the water has a temperature lower than the melting point of the fat.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of rinsing the fat-encapsulated acid multiple times.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of rinsing the fat-encapsulated acid with water to substantially eliminate the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of measuring the pH of the water with which the fat-encapsulated acid was rinsed.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of drying the fat-encapsulated acid after rinsing.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the acid is one or more acids selected from the group consisting of citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and succinic acid.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the fat comprises hydrogenated vegetable oil.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined melting point of the fat is higher than 30° C.
 9. A method of producing a microwave food product, comprising rinsing a fat-encapsulated acid with water to reduce the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat, wherein the fat has a predetermined melting point, and wherein the water has a temperature lower than the melting point of the fat; suspending the fat-encapsulated acid in a slurry, wherein the slurry further comprises oil; combining the slurry with a food product; and packaging the slurry and food product in a microwaveable package.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of rinsing the fat-encapsulated acid multiple times.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of rinsing the fat-encapsulated acid with water to substantially eliminate the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of drying the fat-encapsulated acid after rinsing.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein the acid is one or more acids selected from the group consisting of citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and succinic acid.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the fat comprises hydrogenated vegetable oil.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein the slurry further comprises one or more of the following: salt and flavoring.
 16. The method of claim 9, wherein the food product is popcorn.
 17. The method of claim 9, wherein the microwaveable package is a popcorn container.
 18. The method of claim 9, wherein the predetermined melting point of the fat is higher than 30° C.
 19. A composition comprising a fat-encapsulated acid, wherein the fat has a predetermined melting point, wherein the fat-encapsulated acid has been rinsed at least once with water having a temperature lower than the melting point of the fat, so that acid not encapsulated in fat is substantially reduced from the composition.
 20. The composition of claim 19, wherein the fat-encapsulated acid has been rinsed multiple times.
 21. The composition of claim 19, wherein the fat-encapsulated acid has been rinsed with water to substantially eliminate the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat.
 22. The composition of claim 19, wherein the acid is one or more acids selected from the group consisting of citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and succinic acid.
 23. The composition of claim 19, wherein the fat comprises hydrogenated vegetable oil.
 24. The composition of claim 19, wherein the composition has been dried.
 25. The composition of claim 19, wherein the predetermined melting point of the fat is higher than 30° C.
 26. A food product capable of being heated in a microwave oven, comprising a fat-encapsulated acid, the fat having a predetermined melting point, wherein the fat-encapsulated acid has been rinsed with water having a temperature lower than the melting point of the fat, so that acid not encapsulated in a fat is substantially eliminated from the food product.
 27. The product of claim 26, wherein the fat-encapsulated acid has been rinsed multiple times.
 28. The product of claim 26, wherein the fat-encapsulated acid has been rinsed with water to substantially eliminate the amount of acid that is not encapsulated in the fat.
 29. The product of claim 26, wherein the acid is one or more acids selected from the group consisting of citric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, phosphoric acid, fumaric acid, adipic acid, propionic acid, sorbic acid, and succinic acid.
 30. The product of claim 26, wherein the fat comprises hydrogenated vegetable oil.
 31. The product of claim 26, further comprising the step of drying the encapsulated acid after rinsing.
 32. The product of claim 26, wherein the slurry further comprises one or more of the following: salt and flavoring.
 33. The product of claim 26, wherein the food product is popcorn.
 34. The product of claim 26, wherein the predetermined melting point of the fat is higher than 30° C. 